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Festivals, Celebrations,
Events,
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Saint Rosalia:
The story of Saint Rosalia tells of a maiden from Palermo who, despite her noble birth, refused the
advances of an aristocrat and a life of luxury and privilege to hide in a cave on Monte Pellegrino. She dedicated
her life to solitary prayer and penance and lived from 1130 to 1166.
The devotion to Saint Rosalia comes from the fact that centuries later when the plague was decimating the city
of Palermo, she appeared in a vision to a humble soap-maker and revealed her final resting place to him and instructed
him to have her earthly remains paraded around the city. This was done and the legend tells that wherever her
bones passed, the sick became well and joined in the procession. In a matter of days the city was freed from the
plague. Since then, this procession has been repeated every year in memory of those great events.
In Ragusa the festivities take place over two days around the first Sunday of September in the Contrada Santa
Rosalia; an area outside the city where there is a little church dedicated to the Saint.
On the Saturday there are games and on the Sunday afternoon the ferculum or display featuring the Saint is
carried around the byroads and the lanes of the area.
The festivities conclude with a sale of agricultural and home-made products and a concert.
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- Religious Festivals in Ragusa:
- Other Occassions:
- Festivals and Celebrations around the province
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